


Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

by E350tb



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Bodyswap, F/M, Gen, Homeworld is Horrible, Pre-Canon, Spinel is doing her best, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26577670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/E350tb/pseuds/E350tb
Summary: He hadn’t even opened his eyes, and Steven Universe knew that there was something very, very wrong.Or; Steven wakes up thousands of years in the past, in a body that isn't his own, forced to be in the constant presence of his mother.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe
Comments: 91
Kudos: 230





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been having a lot of fun with this one! I've got a few chapter's backlogged, so I'm going to make this a weekly upload - new chapters every Monday (possibly Sunday in the US, I'm no good at timezones.)
> 
> Also, here's the cover! https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/727606751524028468/756984037343494144/Sweet_Dreams_Are_Made_Of_This.png

###  **One**

He hadn’t even opened his eyes, and Steven Universe knew that there was something very, _very_ wrong.

He was lying down on something hard - not that the back seat of the Dondai was particularly comfortable, but it was at least softer than this. It was cold to the touch, and he felt exposed skin touching the surface; he’d gone to sleep in his jacket and jeans, so that certainly didn’t feel right at all.

He rolled over, and his centre of gravity felt distinctly, totally _wrong_. It was such a peculiar sensation that it jolted him, and his eyes shot open.

Wherever he was, it was overwhelmingly pink. The ceiling was high, high above him, little pink bubbles floating gently around. Was this the palace on Homeworld? How did he get here?

Maybe White had finally decided to kidnap him. That seemed depressingly possible.

He sat up, and a strange sense of _wrongness_ washed over him. Everything felt totally and completely _off_ \- his head wasn’t the right height from the ground, his arms and legs felt wrong, there was something sticking in the bottom of his vision that he couldn’t quite make out. Had he possessed someone? He hadn’t dreamed of anybody last night - in fact, he was fairly sure he hadn’t dreamt at all.

He closed his eyes, positioning himself. He scrunched his fingers; two hands. He tried to wiggle his toes, but instead felt a single mass moving under what felt like a sock or slipper. No toes, but feet. Feet was good, worry about toes later.

He rubbed his head. Hair, done up, bits poking out the side. Spinel, maybe? If he’d accidentally possessed Spinel, she’d never let him live it down. He did think he felt gloves, so that was possible.

He opened his mouth. “ _Aaaaaahhh…_ ”

A light voice, almost melodic, not quite Spinel’s. Had she made friends? Was he a new friend? That would be pretty awkward. Could he possess people he didn’t - of course he could, he’d possessed watermelons more than once.

He heard the door open, and his eyes shot open.

It was Spinel, but not as he knew her. Pink and white, heart-shaped pigtails, a wide smile. Had she been rejuvenated?

Her smile widened and she extended her arms.

“Whatcha doin’ sleepin’ on the job?” she asked. “Pink needs ya, P!”

_Pink? P?_

Slowly, ever so slowly, he looked down at the reflective floor.

A porcelain white face with a long nose, hair done into two symmetrical buns, stared back at him - with two round, wide, completely _intact_ eyes.

No, he thought, this wasn’t awkward. This was much, _much_ worse than awkward.

For this was Pink Pearl’s body, and he was farther from home than he could have possibly imagined.

Spinel strode over, and without a moment’s pause, grabbed Steven’s arm - _could he call it_ his _arm?_ With a cheerful ‘up ya come!’ she was tugging him to his feet and pulling him to the door.

“I-” he began.

“You don’t wanna be seen bein’ a _lazy_ Pearl, do ya?” asked Spinel. “Reckon I heard Yellow sayin’ you should go n’ get swapped for a new one at the Reef!”

Steven winced.

“Spinel, I-”

Spinel laughed, slapping him hard on the back.

“I’m just kiddin’ ya, P!” she exclaimed. “Ya really think Pink’d let Yellow take away one a’ her things again? You’re golden… ‘cept you’re pink, but, well, you know…”

 _Things._ Steven had often heard of how Pearls had once been considered, in the days when the empire was at its height - which was _now,_ he supposed. Yet Pearl - his Pearl, who he supposed didn’t even exist yet - had never really gone into how they were treated, save for his time with his mother, which she had always remembered in the most rose-tinted (heh!) of lenses. The image of Volleyball and her cracked left eye flashed in his mind’s eye - but surely it couldn’t be that bad, right? 

Not if he was careful, right?

He’d spoken with Connie about it from time to time, venting about his mixed feelings about his mother, saying the things he could never say around Dad or the Gems, and-

_Connie. Dad. The Gems._

He was separated from them now by thousands of years, if not millions - he remembered Yellow laughing about how six thousand years was no time at all, after all. A pit seemed to open in his stomach; how was he ever going to get back to them? Was he now going to have to wait for eons until he could get back to them? Or was there some kind of magic that could get him back, or would he just naturally drift back, or… or… 

What if he did something wrong?

He was so far back in the past; even a slight change could snowball into something huge. What if he did something wrong, and Pink got punished, and Yellow or Blue got given Earth and it was colonised on schedule? Or Pink never learned to love humans? Or she did, but some small thing he’d done millenia before had led her to think about things slightly differently, and she fell in love with Mr. Smiley or Mayor Dewey, and he was never born?

Or even worse, what if Earth was colonised, or Pink fell in love with Mr. Maheswaran, and _Connie_ was never born? Erasing himself was one thing; erasing Connie was a concept too horrifying to bear. What if he messed up, and she found herself disappearing Martin McFlu style? Or something worse? Or-

“Here we are! The good ol’ warp pad!”

It was good that Spinel had spoken when she had - Steven was pretty sure his mind was spiralling towards a panic attack.

He took a long breath.

“Wh-where are we going, Spinel?”

His first full sentence as Pink Pearl, and it almost made his skin crawl. The voice, so similar and yet subtly different to the Pearl he’d known his whole life, and so totally dissimilar to his own.

Spinel crossed her arms.

“You kiddin’ with me or somethin’, P?” she asked. “We’re goin’ to the garden! Now c’mon!”

She tugged him onto the warp pad, and he felt a familiar feeling of vertigo as it activated.

He was off to meet his mother, it seemed; as if he wasn’t anxious enough…


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven meets his diamond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just not a good day for Steven, is it?

**Two**

“You feelin’ okay, P? Ya nearly tumbled over there!”

Steven fought the urge to snap at her; the reason he had nearly fallen over was that he was still getting used to his new body, and the shock of coming out of warp had nearly sent him flying. Everything still felt so off and wrong - he had no idea where his centre of gravity was meant to be. It was like walking around after being spun in place.

Maybe he’d get used to it - but that prospect scared him too. What if he _did_ get used to being Pink Pearl? If he never got home, that’d probably be for the best; but what if he never did?

He remembered a cracked eyed thrall of White Diamond, and shivered.

“I… I’m okay, thank you Spinel,” he replied.

Spinel grinned and gave him another slap on the back.

“Just lookin’ out for my number one Pearl!” she replied brightly. “Now c’mon, let's go see what Pink wants!”

She somersaulted down the stairs, leaving Steven to slowly follow.

The garden was bright and vibrant, a far cry from the desolate, weed-filled mess of his time. Vines circled pristine pillars and obelisks, and a collage of greens and pinks and blues and yellows feasted his eyes. There were tall trees and neat flowerbeds, and the shiny marble floor was spotless. He could see his borrowed body reflected below his feet.

“Why can’t we go somewhere without reflections?” he muttered to himself.

Ahead was a little platform - the communication device stood there. So too did a tall, pink figure.

Steven clenched his fists.

Pink Diamond sat on the steps, gazing up at the stars - her mouth was set in a firm pout. One hand was set on her cheek, the other rapping on a step impatiently. She looked like a bored teenager waiting for the bus.

“ _Pink!_ ”

Spinel sprung down next to her, grinning widely as she literally slung herself around her shoulders like a wet towel. Pink jumped, but sent her a slightly strained smile.

“Hey, Spinel,” she said, in that soft, melodic voice that Steven had only heard in recordings and memories that weren’t his own.

“So, what’s on the cards, buddy-oh-mine?” Spinel slithered off Pink’s shoulders and bounced down next to her. “Got any fun games to play?”

Pink shook her head.

“No, not today,” she replied, standing up. She walked over to the communications pedestal and leaned on it.

“Why the long face?” asked Spinel.

“Blue’s coming back from her latest colony,” replied Pink, the bitterness clearly evident in her voice. “She wants to have a ball.”

“Balls are fun, though!” said Spinel brightly.

“Yeah, when Blue and Yellow aren’t breathing down my neck!” snapped Pink. “When I don’t have to worry about putting all the rubies in the wrong order! ‘ _OooOooOoh Pink, you have to put them in order of colouration!_ ’ They’re just _rubies_ , who cares? I’ll order them how I want!”

Steven winced. The way she had said ‘rubies’ bothered him - it was like they were her things, to be used and displayed as she saw fit, and not living, thinking beings. He supposed this was the distant past, and it was all she knew… in which case, shouldn’t he help her see them as people? Or would that change the past too much?

Pink sighed and turned around.

“Sorry, Spinny, it’s not your fault.”

 _Spinny?_ Steven thought incredulously.

“It’s nothin’!” replied Spinel. “So, ya need help settin’ it up? Is that why we’re here?”

“It’s why Pearl’s here,” said Pink. “No offense Spinny, but organisation isn’t really your thing, you know.”

“Yeah, but I could do it at a _stretch!_ ”

She extended her arm high above her head, waiting expectantly for Pink to give her a high five. This didn’t happen, but undaunted, she simply gave herself one.

“So yeah, Pearl.”

Steven jumped and pulled himself into what he was sure was a particularly shoddy salute. Pink was gazing down on him, her gaze firm, her mouth pressed into a frown. He knew to her that he was just a pretty accessory, a normal pearl, and if he messed up she’d discard him without-

Pink broke into giggles.

“What was _that_ , Pearl?” she asked. “You know you don’t need to salute me!”

“I-uh-um-I-” Steven twisted himself out of the salute - if he could, he’d be sweating like a pig. “Y-yes my momond- I mean, my diamond, I…”

Pink tilted her head.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You seem… _stressed_.”

Steven forced himself to smile.

“Nah-not at all, my diamond!” he replied. “I’m totally ready to, uh, make a ball, I mean, plan a ball, I mean b-ball a ball-”

_Real smooth, Universe, real smooth._

“You sure?” asked Spinel. “Ya’ve been a bit… agitated today.”

“Agitated?” quizzed Pink.

“Yeah, I found her lyin’ on the floor in your palace,” replied Spinel. “And she’s been stammerin’ and stutterin’ all day. I think she needs a break!”

“Yeah, Yellow did say I needed to give her a break every now and again,” muttered Pink. “I guess she does actually know some things…”

She clicked her fingers.

“Spinel, take her to the playroom!” she declared.

“I thought you hated the playroom?” said Spinel.

“ _Yyyyyeah,_ ” replied Pink. “But Pearl doesn’t, don’t you Pearl?”

“Uh-”

“See, yeah, she loves it,” nodded Pink. “Go play with her there, Spinny; I’ll be here, uh, y’know, doing important diamond stuff!”

Spinel grinned and saluted.

“Alright, Pearlie, let’s get you all destressed!”

“Wait, what? I-”

Before Steven could say anything, Spinel was literally dragging him back towards the warp pad. As she disappeared from view, Steven could see Pink turn, her shoulders sagging somewhat - was she depressed or relieved? He honestly couldn’t say.

If he was honest, though, if it got him away from his mother, he was happy to play with Spinel for as long as she liked.

* * *

Pearls, as a rule, didn’t tend to let their emotions show. Blue Pearl was particularly practiced at this; in the most literal sense, she only showed emotion when her diamond wanted her too. She’d stood impassively as her diamond colonised planet after planet, attended ball after ball, punished gem after gem, without a word of a movement.

So why, she wondered, did she feel so antsy today?

She forced the urge to fidget down as she stood next to her diamond, thankful that she was unlikely to notice. Blue Diamond was resting in her tub on her ship, and may well be in there for days. Sometimes she spent whole voyages in there, lost in her thoughts.

 _Must be nice_.

Where had that thought come from?

She closed her eyes, trying to centre herself. She had been having the most peculiar images in her mind’s eye; images of swords and shields and bizarre pink beasts, things she wasn’t sure she could have possibly imagined. The most peculiar of this waking dreams was one in which she was holding a sword herself, her arm a strange brown colour.

She dared not speak to anyone about it. She didn’t want to go to the reef.

So she forced it out of her mind and went back to standing still, dainty and pretty and unobstructive at the feet of Blue Diamond; she swallowed down the strange sense of displeasure at her situation and went about her day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Spinel have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit late, I overslept.

**Three**

Steven hadn’t known what to expect from the playroom. As it turned out, it was simply that - a big, square playroom.

There was what looked like a ball pit, although every ball was pink and faintly soft to the touch, and piles of large blocks and balls and other assorted toy-like objects. Spinel had taken to it like a fish, immediately diving into the ball pit, but Steven could see why Pink wouldn’t like it. It felt faintly… _babyish_ , for lack of a better word.

He wandered instead to the window, looking out over Homeworld. It faced away from the palace complex, looking out over the city that stretched for unfathomable miles below. If he ignored the strange feel of his body, he could almost imagine he was still in the present, so unchanged did it look.

A pang of longing filled him, and he curled up under the window. He closed his eyes, and the faces of his friends and family flashed through his mind.

Spinel had just climbed out of the ballpit when she heard the loud, dry sob.

“Whoa, whoa, what’s up, P?” She skidded over to Steven and kneeled down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Steven opened his teary eyes, looking into Spinel’s.

 _Oh, nothing’s wrong_ , he thought. _I’m trapped in the past, constantly terrified that I’m going to do something wrong and erase everything and everyone I’ve ever loved. I’m scared of having to interact with my mom because I don’t know what she’ll do, or when she’ll crack my eye and White will control me like a puppet. Oh, and on top of that you get abandoned for thousands of years, and I know I shouldn’t tell you that because it’ll change the future but the idea of leaving you there makes me feel awful, but apart from that, gee whiz, I’m peachy!_

He blinked.

“Sorry, Spinel,” he replied. “I guess I just feel… overwhelmed?”

“Overwhelmed?” Spinel tilted her head. “Like Pinkie’s workin’ ya too hard? ‘Cause I can help with the ball, if you need it! We just won’t tell her, huh?”

“I…”

He slowly nodded.

“I guess I would like that,” he replied.

Spinel smiled.

“Oh, but we’ll have to keep it from Blue’s Pearl,” she added. “‘Cause she’ll probably be helpin’.”

Steven frowned.

“Oh,” he said. “That’s… oh.”

Spinel tilted her head.

“Thought you liked Blue?” she asked. “Thought Yellow was the annoyin’ one?”

“No, no, I like Blue, I just… it’s another thing to worry about, I guess,” replied Steven.

“I getcha,” nodded Spinel. “I’ll just do stuff when she’s not lookin’! She won’t see a thing, I promise ya!”

Steven’s frown deepened; he rather doubted stealth was Spinel’s strong suit.

Spinel didn’t seem to notice, because she immediately slapped him on the back and pulled him to his feet.

“C’mon, let’s cheer you up, huh? I wanna show you my juggling…”

Without waiting for a reply, she dragged him away from the wall.

* * *

Night came, but sleep did not. Gems didn’t need it, and he found that the pangs of weariness eluded him.

It was just them now; he and his mother, standing on the palace balcony. Spinel had been sent back to the garden to ‘look after the plants,’ and it seemed Pink was glad to be rid of her.

“I like her, Pearl, I really do,” she said, leaning on the railing. “But she’s just so… _in your face_. She’s a playmate for babies, you know?”

She sighed.

“That’s all they think of me,” she sniffed. “A baby diamond. They got colonies, I get, what, playrooms? Dumb balls? When’s Yellow going to give me a planet, huh?”

Steven mentally gulped. He tried to say what he thought Pink expected her to say.

“I-I’m sure it’ll be soon, my diamond.”

“And how soon is _soon,_ huh?” demanded Pink. “Ten thousand years? Twenty? Yellow promised we’d talk about it last decade, but she still hasn’t!”

She spoke as if she was talking about the previous weekend.

“Maybe you should give her another…” Steven grasped at a plausible time frame. “...six years?”

Pink tilted her head.

“You really expect her back that quickly?” she asked.

“Uh n-no, no my diamond.”

Pink snorted, clutching the ledge.

“It’s just… Blue and Yellow don’t respect me!” she growled. “They just promise me they’ll think about it and throw stuff at me to make me go away! You know what, I bet they’re just scared! Scared I’ll out-class them, that I’ll make the best colonies ever and White Diamond will love me more than them! And maybe she _should!_ Maybe-”

“My diamond!”

Pink stopped and looked down. The ledge was cracked, distorted under her hands, and she was glowing faintly. She lifted her arms, and part of the railing crumbled to dust.

“I…” Pink ran her hands through her hair. “Well, I’ve got a point, don’t I?”

“Y-yes, of course my diamond,” replied Steven, trying to stop himself from trembling.

Pink closed her eyes, let out another snort, and put on a very forced-looking smile.

“Well, we can think about all this later,” she declared. “Come on, I’ve been practicing my juggling some more, I wanna show you.”

She turned on her heel and strolled inside. Steven swallowed, and on trembling legs, he followed her inside.

* * *

Blue Pearl stood outside her diamond’s personal chambers, having been ordered to stay away while the gem matriarch got reacquainted with her palace. This was normal procedure; she’d been away for twenty-seven years, and she’d missed home greatly. It was time to freshen up and gather her bearings for a day or so, which left her pearl with some rare free time.

The trouble was, she had no idea how to use it.

Yellow, of course, considered her total lack of activity and life outside her diamond’s service a point of pride, and once boasted that she’d spent a whole year standing at attention while Yellow Diamond was away on ‘business’ (which for her, usually meant disciplinary action.) Even for a pearl, that was a bit excessive, but Blue had never been bothered by standing around doing nothing for a few weeks. And yet the strange unease that had gnawed at her recently prodded her from her mind. She wanted to move. She wanted to _do something._

She looked down at her hand, clenching and uncleaning it. The phantom feeling of a sword in hand faintly brushed her palms. She felt a desire to spar - she hadn’t done it much lately, what with Steven on the road.

Blue twisted her mouth into a frown, puzzled. What was a Steven? Why had she thought of him?

She walked down the corridor, not quite sure where she was going. She never felt quite at ease in these palaces; they were places of undeserved power, of oppression, places where she had been sniffed at as a pet and confined as a prisoner. They reminded her of dark towers, of grey ciphers of once bright, living people, of pink ghosts.

Blue sat down, a hand on her head. There was an aching sensation in her gem; perhaps it was like a headache. Part of her wondered what a headache was, but it was being swallowed by a sense of… was it drowsiness? Her eyelids felt very heavy.

Surely nobody would mind if she took a little nap, right?

She closed her eyes, resting against the wall. It would be fine, she thought.

After all, it wasn’t like her mother was here.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue Diamond and her Pearl arrive.

###  **Four**

Spinel was somewhat puzzled tonight.

Pearl had been acting weird and out of sorts all day, and she had to admit she was worried about her friend. Sure, she probably just needed a rest; even Pearls needed them from time to time, and probably a lot more than most people admitted. But her friend seemed spacy and discombobulated (heh, that was a funny word), and Spinel worried that she might be sent to the Reef and reset if Pink thought she was damaged.

The last thing she wanted was for that to happen again.

She was standing by the communications device, playing Pink’s favourite game; seeing how long Spinel could stand still until she came back. She didn’t know why Pink liked this game so much, but it was fun seeing how long she could do it without fidgeting.

All of a sudden, she heard a peculiar rustling sound in the bushes.

_ No _ , she told herself.  _ Can’t go check. I need to win the game! Pinkie’s probably got cameras watching me right now, she’ll know if I move! _

The rustling grew louder, and her eyes darted to the right.

For the briefest moment, she was sure she could see a shape moving through the trees and flowers, and the glint of light reflected off an eye. She shuddered involuntarily, and she opened her mouth to call out.

She blinked.

Nothing. The bushes were still. There seemed to be nobody here but herself.

She bit her lip. She must be letting the loneliness of the garden get to her, she thought. Her mind was playing tricks on her, and she was seeing things that weren’t there. Best not think about it, or talk about it again.

After all, they reset defective Spinels too, and she didn’t want to look like a defective Spinel.

* * *

The ballroom looked precisely the same as it always had as Steven, Pink and Spinel walked into it. The same towering thrones, the same pipe-like decorations, the same long carpet through the middle. It was almost nostalgic, if one could be nostalgic for watching their family poofed by Yellow Diamond here.

They were not alone. Blue Diamond was already there, pacing the ballroom - her Pearl stood at attention by the carpet, her face set in a frown. Steven could have sworn she looked troubled.

“Pink.” Blue smiled. “There you are.”

Pink smiled back. “Hey Blue! How was the new colony?”

“It went perfectly, thank you,” replied Blue. “Everything is working exactly as expected.”

She knelt down.

“How about you? Has Yellow been treating you well?”

Pink crossed her arms and pouted.

“She’s being a pain in the gem,  _ as usual _ ,” she snorted. “ _ Oh, Piii-iiink, you need to be more responsible! _ Ugh.”

Blue put a hand on her arm.

“She just wants to make sure you’re ready when the time comes for your first colony,” she said softly. “And I’m sure that won’t be long now.”

“Mmph… I  _ guess _ ,” muttered Pink.

Blue stood back up and turned to her Pearl, her smile vanishing.

“Pearl,” she ordered. “You are to make sure the ball is prepared exactly to expectations.”

“Y-yes, my Diamond!” Blue Pearl saluted somewhat shakily.

“You’re not staying?” asked Pink.

“No,” replied Blue. “I need to check in with White; I’ll see you at the ball, little starlight.”

She glided away, leaving the smaller gems behind.

Pink snorted.

“Probably just doesn’t want to hear me ask about colonies again,” she sniffed. “Whatever, I’m going to the garden.”

“You’re not helping with the ball?”

Steven slapped his hands over his mouth as she turned around.

“What was that, Pearl?” she asked.

“I-I mean, do you not want to make sure I organise the ball correctly, my Diamond?” replied Steven.

Pink scoffed.

“Nah, I want to take a break,” replied Pink. “See you later Pearl, Spinny.”

Steven watched her skip away. His face set in a frown;  _ take a break from what? _

“Soooooo!” Spinel hopped up next to the pearls, face set in a big grin. “Where do we start? Pink P’s got some  _ super _ good ideas, but she told me to keep ‘em secret for now.” She winked at Steven. “How ‘bout you, Blue?”

“I, uh, um…” Blue Pearl looked down at her feet. “Well, I’m sure you know what my Diamond likes, so…”

Steven pursed his lips. He did not, so that was pretty unhelpful.

“Oh, o’ course!” nodded Spinel. “She likes them big banners Pink hangs up sometimes. You know, the big pink ones - oh, but we’ll need to add some blue ones as well! That’s totally what P told me!”

She made a show of elbowing Steven.

“Oh, and dancers! We’re gonna want dancers! Yeah, what a good idea, Pink P, dancers!”

_ Please, please be more subtle _ , Steven mentally begged.

If Blue Pearl found that suspicious, she didn’t let on. She was looking up towards the ceiling - probably deciding where to put the banners, he thought.

An idea struck him.

“What about art?” he blurted.

Spinel and Blue Pearl looked at him, and he gulped.

“Like, uh, pictures,” he replied. “Do we have those? We could…”

“Yeah, we have those!” said Spinel. “Don’t know why you called it ‘art,’ but we got ‘em!”

“I’m… making up words today,” said Steven, somewhat lamely.

Spinel grinned.

“Ooh, that’s a fun game!” she exclaimed. “Alright… blorple! I’ll go grab some of them murals!”

She sprinted off to the door.

“Blorple means friend, by the way!” she called as she disappeared.

“Yeah… thanks, Spinel,” muttered Steven.

* * *

“Blorple blorp blorp barbie blorp blup blup blup!”

Spinel sang to herself as she cartwheeled down the corridor, headed for the storeroom at the back of the palace. She was feeling happy; she loved hanging around with Pink Pearl, her second best friend, and it was good for the two to get some alone time. Everything seemed absolutely fine and hunky-dory, and-

“You.”

A hand grabbed her leg and she flopped face first onto the floor mid-cartwheel.

“Mmph! Yep, you sure got me!”

She rolled over, her leg twisting like rubber as she looked up at her assailant. It was a peridot, tall with her hair split into two peaks, her uniform grey with a white diamond.

“Oh hey, you’re a peridot!” Spinel said redundantly.

“Well noticed,” the peridot said grumpily. “My Diamond sent me to deliver a message to yours, but I cannot find her anywhere. You will deliver it for me.”

“Sure thing, P-Dot!” Spinel saluted.

The peridot scowled.

“There have been strange energy readings from your Diamond’s palace,” she said. “My Diamond wants them investigated. Have a team of her best science gems get on it.”

She dropped Spinel’s leg and marched away, disappearing around the corner.

“Uh, my Diamond doesn’t  _ have _ science gems!” called Spinel. “Is that gonna be a problem?”

There was no reply.

“Okay, guess not!”

She climbed to her feet and continued on her way to the storeroom.

* * *

The figure hid in the bushes, watching as Pink Diamond paced back and forth. She hadn’t noticed her - the figure very much wanted it to stay that way.

“ _ OooOooOOoooOh _ , she’s just making sure you’re  _ reeeEEeeEEady! _ ” snarled Pink. “Stupid Blue! She’s just as bad as Yellow! I bet she never had to prove herself to anybody!”

She gritted her teeth.

“Oh, and she gets to talk with White whenever she wants to, but I have to wait decades and decades, and it’s just… it’s just…  _ raagh! _ ”

She punched one of the obelisks, breaking it in half - the top collapsed down to the floor and shattered into pieces.

“I hate it,” she growled. “I hate Blue, I hate Yellow, I hate this miserable planet… one day I’ll show them just how good I am, and they’ll be sorry!”

She stormed off to another part of the garden.

The figure swallowed and crawled off to another bush, the leaves rustling as she moved. She had no intention of being seen by the angry Diamond - never mind breaking the future, she was afraid she’d be broken herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new arrival tries to adjust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly late because I fell asleep, but here it is!

###  **Five**

Connie balanced on too-thin legs, hanging up a blue banner with the image of Blue Diamond on the side. She’d never felt much in the way of vertigo, but standing up here on this thin piece of - was it pipe? - and being expected to lithely stride across to hang each decoration flawlessly was an uncomfortable new situation. She wished she was like Pink Pearl; she was sure she was in her element right now.

She’d never had an eye for decoration; not in this way. Sure, she’d helped her dad rearrange his Nundams, and she’d cleaned up with mom when some bigwig doctor came for dinner, but she’d never really decorated for a  _ ball _ . Those were the sorts of things people did in ( _ ugh! _ ) monarchies.

At last she finished securing the banner. Now all she had to do was shimmy back and-

“ _ HEEEEY THERE BLUE P! _ ”

Connie jumped, and felt herself lose her footing. For a second, there was the awful feeling of falling - then she had landed in the stretchy arms of Spinel.

“Whoa, watch your step there!” she said brightly, unaware that she had just made Connie’s life flash before her eyes. “Just wanted to say it’s nearly quittin’ time for the day!”

Connie frowned. She’d never thought of gems having shifts. Then again, she supposed it was probably just because Pink wanted her pearl and Spinel back… and Blue Diamond probably wanted her back too.

A slave. That’s what she was. It just about made her skin crawl.

She was still disoriented; one minute she’d been in her dorm at college, drifting off to sleep; the next she was waking up in this new body in this new time, with no apparent way to return. And while she was smart enough not to look suspicious right away, her mind was already swimming with schemes and plots to escape, if only she could get five seconds of privacy…

...but what if that changed the timeline?

“Elevator going down!” Spinel grinned as she lowered Connie down to the floor.

Connie swayed from side-to-side as Spinel let go of her - she still wasn’t quite used to her new centre of gravity. Pink Pearl was already walking over to her - her side of the room was now decorated with pink banners and murals of her Diamond on the walls. It looked a lot better than her own handiwork, and she suspected that that was because Spinel was helping. The fun-loving gem wasn’t very good at hiding her involvement in the proceedings.

“Well, that’s looking pretty amazing!” said Spinel, clapping her hands together. “Good job, Pearls!”

“Thank you, Spinel,” replied Pink Pearl.

She looked over Connie’s handiwork.

“You, uh, your side looks pretty good!” she said. “I bet your Diamond’s gonna be really happy!”

“Thank you,” Connie replied. “You, uh, your side looks nice too.”

There was a long, awkward silence.

“So…” Pink Pearl templed her hands together. “How’s the… drawing?”

“Drawing?” Spinel tilted her head. “What drawing?”

Pink Pearl’s lips visibly thinned.

“Uh, I mean…”

“It’s good,” Connie lied. “I’ve been drawing well for my Diamond. Thank you.”

“You draw for Blue Diamond?” exclaimed Spinel. “That’s amazing! How come you never told me that, P?”

She assumed a pose, one hand on her hip and the other behind her back. She fluttered her eyelashes.

“Can you draw  _ me? _ ”

“Um… no,” replied Connie.

“Aw, man.”

“Pearl! Spinel!”

Spinel jumped out of her pose as Pink Diamond walked in.

“Pink!” said Spinel. “How’re ya doing? D’ja have a nice break?”

Connie narrowed her eyes - she was lucky they couldn’t be seen under Blue’s bangs. There she was; the gem who had left Steven with so much pain and unfinished business, and yet the gem without whom he would never exist. To say her feelings about this gem were complicated was an understatement; but she couldn’t honestly say she liked her.

She was very glad she was here, and not Steven.

Pink Diamond shrugged towards Spinel and turned to Pink Pearl.

“You’re doing great so far, Pearl!” she said brightly. “I really like the murals, that was a wonderful idea!”

She turned to Blue Pearl.

“Blue Diamond sent me a message to say she’s still busy with White,” she grunted. “So I’m stuck looking after you. Come on.”

Connie’s eyebrows shot up. Could she do that? Was she going to be stuck with Pink all week?

She thought it over for a moment.

Well, she decided, it was better than being stuck with Blue.

* * *

“She couldn’t even call me? She just sent a peridot?”

Pink Diamond was in her room, a futon having been built for her by the pebbles. Steven watched them run back into their little holes as the diamond fell back to recline on the couch, shooting them a quick ‘thank you’ as they scurried off. Blue Pearl had been ordered to wait outside - Pink wanted her private time with Spinel and her Pearl.  _ Goodie. _

“Yep!” Spinel replied. “Said we should get our science gems to look at it!”

Pink pinched her nose.

“I don’t  _ have _ science gems,” she said. “She  _ knows _ I don’t have science gems.”

“Maybe she forgot you don’t,” said Steven.

Pink nodded.

“Makes sense,” she grunted. “It’s not like she pays any attention to me, you know? None of them do. They have so many gems that they just think anybody can pull a squad of gems out of their… ugh!”

She grabbed a cushion and squeezed it against her chest.

“I’m ready for a colony, right?” she asked. “They know I’m ready, right?”

Steven glanced at Spinel.

“You sure are ready!” she said cheerfully. “Ain’t that right, P?”

_ Oh stars, what am I meant to say? _

“Y-yes,” he added. “Y-you can be anything y-you set your mind to, my Diamond. If they gave you a chance, I-I’m sure they’d realise that you’re completely capable of running a colony.”

Pink stared at him, and for a moment Steven feared he’d said something wrong.

Then she beamed.

“You’re right!” she declared. “You’re absolutely right! One day, I’m gonna have a colony… no, dozens of colonies! Hundreds! And I’m gonna  _ nail _ it! I’ll show them! I’ll show them all!”

She got up, a spring in her step, and Steven breathed a sigh of relief. She was happy - that was good. Happy meant safe.

“So,” asked Pink, “who wants to see some juggling?”

“Memememememememe!” exclaimed Spinel, bouncing in place.

As Pink pulled the balls from her gem and began to juggle, Steven retreated into his thoughts.  _ So far so good, no major changes to the timeline _ .

An image of a porcelain white figure with a cracked eye flashed in his head - his fate, if the timeline wasn’t changed and he didn’t get home.

He closed his eyes. He could deal with that problem later.

* * *

The palace was quiet - Pink was resting, her Pearl by her side. As far as Connie could tell, no one else was present - the perfect time to explore.

Perhaps, she thought, she could find a hangar, or even a secret lab where she could find a clue to her temporal dislocation. So far, all she’d seen was identical pink corridors, stretching off to doors she could not access. She wondered if the palace, already titanic, was bigger on the inside.

She was about to round another corner when she heard a peculiar sound.

Was that…  _ crying? _

Slowly, she peaked around the corner. A pink form was curled against the wall, face buried in her arms, love-heart shaped pigtails sagging. It was clearly Spinel - but why was she crying?

“Spinel?” she asked softly.

Spinel looked up, her eyes wide and glistening.

“Blue P!” she exclaimed. “I-I’m sorry, I was just… you know, having a sit down!”

She forced a grin onto her face.

“I’m happy again now! Happy happy joy joy, that’s me!” She jumped to her feet and pumped her arms in a faux-cheerful fashion.”

Connie frowned.

“Then why were you crying?”

“Crying?”

Spinel blinked.

“I was cryin’ with  _ laugher _ , silly!” she replied. “From a joke! A joke I’m thinkin’ of tellin’ Pinkie! Yeah, that’s it!”

Connie knew for a fact that Spinel was lying; and yet she also knew better than to prod. She’d been there before, letting everything out when she was sure nobody was looking. She’d never have wanted anyone to know about it, or to be worried about her.

So while inside she worried, on the outside she offered her future friend a little smile, as Blue Pearlish as she possibly could.

“Of course,” she replied. “My mistake, Spinel.”

She turned around to leave.

“Wait!”

Connie spun back around.

“Would you, uh…” Spinel rubbed the back of her head. “You wanna hear my jokes?”

Connie glanced down the hall - she really should be looking for an escape route, but in that moment, Spinel just looked so…  _ vulnerable. _

“Of course,” she replied softly.

Spinel smiled.

“Thanks, Blue P,” she said. “So this one’s a good one - two rubies walk into a shuttle…”

She sat down, and Connie sat next to her, listening as the little pink gem told her joke after joke; some hokey, some quite lame, but all of them told with an enthusiasm that her Diamond simply didn’t share.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh hey, there she is


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue and Pink have a heart-to-heart.

###  **Six**

“You have done a remarkable job, Pink,” said Blue.

_ Yeah, _ Steven thought bitterly.  _ Not me. Not Blue Pearl. Not Spinel.  _ Pink.

If Pink Diamond shared his irritation, she certainly didn’t show it. She tittered as she leaned against her throne, shooting her fellow Diamond a cutesy wink.

“Thank you Blue!” she said with practiced affection. “But I couldn’t have done it without our Pearls!”

Blue pursed her lips, letting out a long “ _ hmmm. _ ”

“You really should take the credit, Pink,” she said softly. “It’s…  _ unbecoming _ to delegate too much praise to a Pearl, after all.”

Steven could have sworn he saw Blue Pearl’s fists ball up.

“That said,” Blue added, “it’s also unbecoming not to reward good work. Why don’t you give them some time off before the ball? Perhaps in your garden?”

“Doesn’t Yellow say that time off ruins a Pearl?” asked Pink.

“Yes, and you’ve seen how…  _ high-strung _ her Pearl is,” replied Blue, a wry smile on her face.

Pink giggled.

“...and as for you and I,” continued Blue. “Why don’t we take a moment to chat. Diamond to diamond?”

Pink’s brow shot up.

“I… I’d love that!” she replied. “W-will we talk about…”

Blue chuckled.

“All in good time, Pink,” she replied. “All in good time.”

She turned to the Pearls and Spinel, a severe frown appearing on her face.

“You are to go straight to the garden,” she ordered. “And you are to return an hour before the ball begins. Is that clear?”

“Yes, my Diamond.”

“Yes, my Diamond.”

Blue nodded.

“In that case, we shall be off. Come along, Pink!”

The two diamonds strolled away, leaving Steven, Spinel and Blue Pearl behind.

“...soooo,” Spinel tucked her hands behind her back and grinned. “Garden time?”

* * *

“I worry, Pink.”

Pink Diamond glanced up at Blue as they strolled through her palace to the extraction chamber.

“B-Blue?”

“Our empire, Pink,” continued Blue. “I worry we have spread ourselves too far. Yellow and White and I are gone from Homeworld so often, I fear we are losing sight of what truly matters.”

She stopped, taking an unexpected left turn. Pink hurried to keep up.

“What truly matters?” asked Pink. “I don’t understand.”

They reached a balcony - beyond this vantage point stretched miles and miles of city, the shining jewel of the Gem Empire - the metropolis of Homeworld. Blue gazed down at the sprawl, her face set into a small, fond smile. She gazed down into the colourful cityscape for some time.

“We need to treasure these moments, Pink,” she said. “Our colonies may be great, and they may be many, but nothing will ever compare to this. The universe may wither and die, each world crumble to dust - but our Homeworld  _ must _ endure.”

She turned to Pink.

“One day, you will have colonies,” she said. “And it will be a great responsibility-”

“I know, I  _ know! _ ” Pink pouted and leaned on the railing.

Slowly, Blue put her hand on her back.

“You must always remember why we build our empire,” she said softly. “For all our glory and radiance, all four of us exist for the same reason. It is the same reason all gems exist. We must cultivate Homeworld, and make it the best it can possibly be. A bismuth does this by building. A quartz does this by fighting. A lapis does this by terraforming. And we…”

“We are the guiding light that shines in the sky,” replied Pink. She’d heard this before, time and time again.

Blue smiled fondly down at her.

“You’ll be the best of us one day,” she said. “I know it.”

“Yellow doesn’t.”

“Yellow… Yellow has her own way of showing affection,” said Blue. “She may seem harsh, but she’s teaching you how to deal with the universe at large. She knows exactly what I do - that you will make us proud.”

She let out a long sigh.

“I cannot wait to see that day.”

“It could be right now,” said Pink. “If you let me.”

Blue shook her head.

“Not now,” she said. “But it will be  _ soon. _ Sooner than you think.”

She turned to the door.

“Now, I do believe the extraction chamber is waiting…”

She walked inside, Pink hanging back. The smaller diamond scrunched up her nose.

“ _ I do believe the extraction chamber is waiting, _ ” she repeated in a high-pitched, mocking tone. “Uh, for stars’ sake…”

She shook her head and followed after Blue.

* * *

Spinel cartwheeled around the garden, making a ‘whoop-whoop-whoop’ sound as she went. Steven and Blue Pearl watched, sitting on the steps by the communications device, neither saying a word - the silence was almost deafening, and Steven was rather glad that Spinel was breaking it.

“Look it me go, pearls!” called Spinel as she passed them by.

“Looking good, Spinel,” replied Steven, sending her a small wave.

He turned to Blue Pearl; she was gazing up at the ceiling, and at the distant stars beyond. He wondered what was on her mind.

“So… what’s up with-”

“ _ GAAAH! _ ”

Spinel jumped backwards, away from a bush, and landed on her back in front of the two pearls.

“Spinel?”

“There’s something in that bush!” exclaimed Spinel. “I saw it!”

“What?”

Steven stood up, looking towards the bush. He saw nothing, but noticed a faint shaking among the leaves, as if they had just been disturbed.

“It was big!” exclaimed Spinel. “And  _ super hairy! _ I-it wouldn’t be some kind of awful organic who eats gems, would it?”

“I…” Steven pursed his lips.

“We should go get someone,” said Spinel. “Like a quartz! A big quartz! A-and…”

“Wait.”

Steven stepped slowly towards the bush, hand outstretched as he went. Spinel gulped loudly, but he heard footsteps as Blue Pearl followed him.

“Hello!” Steven called out. “Whoever’s there, I’m not going to hurt you!”

He reached the edge of the bushes and knelt down.

“Are you lost?” he asked. “Because believe me, I know how you feel. But we can help you.”

There was more rustling, but he couldn’t quite see anything through the bushes.

“Please,” he repeated. “Let me help you. We won’t tell Pink Diamond.”

“You sure ‘bout that, P?” asked Spinel. “‘Cause we could get in  _ preeeetty  _ big trouble for lyin’ to her…”

Steven turned back to her, shooting the other pink gem a meaningful look.

“I… sure, she don’t have to know!” she said, grinning nervously. “Just a big… a big ‘us’ secret, huh?”

Steven nodded and turned around.

“What do you say?”

There was a brief silence.

Then, with a rustle of leaves, a tiny head poked out of the greenery, white hair covering one of the eyes on her round, purple face. Steven’s proverbial heart skipped a beat as he looked down at the little quartz, her long hair and pudgy body utterly unmistakable.

He spoke without meaning.

“A-Amethyst?!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang meet a quartz.

**Seven**

“Amethyst?!”

Steven covered his mouth. He glanced back to Spinel and Blue Pearl - Spinel simply seemed fascinated by the new visitor, ‘ _oohing_ ’ loudly with both hands on her cheek. Blue Pearl seemed… surprised? Shocked? She probably didn’t expect to see a quartz in this most secure of places.

Well, Steven _assumed_ it was secure. He’d never really seen a guard, hadn’t he?

“I-I mean, an Amethyst!” he exclaimed. “Wh-what a turn of events!”

“Wow!” said Spinel! “Look at it! It’s a teeny overcooked Amethyst! Can we keep her!”

“Hey, watch it!” Amethyst got to her feet. “I’m not your _dog!_ ”

“What’s a dog?” asked Spinel.

It was definitely Amethyst - the gem placement proved it - but her hair was shorter. Her outfit as a whole reminded Steven of the time she had been reset; but her personality certainly seemed intact.

There was one way to know for sure; but did he dare let her know who he really was?

Amethyst’s eyes shot from Steven, to Blue Pearl and to Spinel - at the last gem, her eyes narrowed. She reached for her gem, and with a bright flash, she drew her whip.

“Alright, I don’t wanna hurt you pearls,” she began.

“And Spinel!” said Spinel brightly.

“ _Right_ ,” grunted Amethyst. “I don’t wanna hurt you, but I need to get outta here before Pink P shows up, you get me? You _promised_ to help me.”

“Pink Diamond isn’t coming,” Blue Pearl blurted. “She’s with B… she is with my Diamond.”

Steven stared at her, lips thinning. There was something _off_ about her response; it was too direct, and although it was not louder (he didn’t think Blue Pearl’s voice _could_ get louder), it had a bit more _force_. He couldn’t help but feel it was a bit _familiar._

...no, it couldn’t be. Just deja vu.

Amethyst didn’t lower her stance.

“Yeah, but she’s gonna be here at _some_ point, right?” she snapped. “Either you’re gonna have to promise not to tell Pinko I’m here, or you’re gonna have to find me another hiding place.”

“Hiding place…”

Steven would have gulped, were he still human. He had absolutely no idea where he could hide the purple gem - he barely knew how to navigate the palace at all.

“Oooh, I know!”

Spinel grinned, taking a very big step forward and lifting up her index finger.

“We can hide you in the storage closet!” she exclaimed. “Only people who know about that is me n’ Pearlie here!”

“Yeah!” said Steven, forcing his voice to sound much more confident than he felt. “Lead the way, P!”

Steven blinked.

“I thought you’d lead the way,” he replied.

“But… you’re the pearl, Pearl,” said Spinel, grinning. “It’s _your_ job!”

“Yeah… yeah, but… we’re playing follow the leader!” exclaimed Steven, snapping his fingers. “And you’re the leader!”

“ _Oooooooh!_ ” Spinel’s grin widened. “Alright, gems! Follow me!”

Her whole body twisted as she turned around, marching to the warp pad in exaggerated fashion. Steven and Blue Pearl exchanged a glance, before both they and Amethyst followed.

Unbeknownst to them, behind a bush covered in flowers, a tiny, cylindrical device attached to a pole followed them as they walked away…

* * *

The storage room was… _underwhelming_ , compared to the rest of the palace. There were no tall ceilings, no columns, no murals, no vistas looking out over the planet - it was just a small, square, greyish pink room with a few sad-looking balls and cubes. To Amethyst, it looked decidedly _crummy_ \- but it was the only place she could hide, so it would have to do.

“This is where Pink Diamond puts her old toys,” said Spinel brightly.

“Oh wow, yeah,” said Amethyst. “Because Pink’s really gonna enjoy…” She picked up a purple cube. “... _this thing._ ”

“Hey!” snapped Spinel. “Don’t knock the cube!”

Amethyst shrugged.

“Look, I don’t care about cubes and junk,” she said. “I just need a place to crash until I can get myself back to Earth.”

“What’s an Earth?” asked Spinel.

Blue Pearl didn’t seem to react - but to Amethyst’s surprise, Pink Pearl’s eyes widened ever so slightly. Did she recognise the name? She couldn’t, right?

“Spinel, Blue Pearl,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Do you mind waiting outside for a bit?”

“Sure thing, Pearlie!” said Spinel, pulling her arms into a diamond salute. “C’mon, Blue!”

“I…”

Before Blue Pearl could say anymore, Spinel was dragging her out, the door shutting behind her.

Amethyst tilted her head as Pink Pearl ran her hands through her hair.

“Earth,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s where I’m from, bro,” said Amethyst.

Pink Pearl hesitated - her mind seemed to be running a mile a minute.

“Where were you?” she asked. “Before you ended up in the garden?”

“On Earth,” replied Amethyst, crossing her arms. “What’s it to you?”

Pink Pearl shook her head in frustration.

“ _Where_ on Earth?” she demanded. “I need something to work with here! Like, you clearly time travelled too, but from when?!”

“ _Time travel?_ ” Amethyst’s eyes widened. “Holy smokes, you too Pink?”

“I…”

“Dude, I was just…”

Amethyst stopped herself.

“...I was just _minding my own business in the Temple_ ,” she said, “And then I woke up in Pink’s garden. It’s gotta be, what, six thousand years ago? I mean, looking at Spinel who, gotta be honest, I’m not sure I trust right now. Like, she could blurt everything to Pink at any moment; might not even realise she’s doing it until…”

“Are you sure?” demanded Pink Pearl. “You have no idea how you went back in time?”

“... _nnnnnope_ ,” replied Amethyst. “How ‘bout you, Volleyball? Was it some kind of Homeworld space junk or something? I…”

“Amethyst, I need you to listen very carefully.”

Pink Pearl stepped forward, planting her hands on Amethyst’s shoulders.

“I don’t know how I time travelled, and I’m not Volleyball.”

Amethyst thought, the gears in her mind turning.

“Oh my stars…”

“Yes, it’s…”

“ _Pearl?!_ ”

“...what.”

“I mean, it has to be!” exclaimed Amethyst, stepping back and clutching her head. “You were Pink’s Pearl, and now you’re the _OG_ Pink’s Pearl! Dude, that has to be so awkward! I…”

“Amethyst!” exclaimed Pink Pearl. “I… when Ruby ran off, and we were trying to find her, and we ended up on the beach, and you told me you weren’t gonna fall apart on me. Remember that?”

Amethyst blinked.

“ _Oh._ ”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my _god,_ ” Amethyst shook her head. “You’re…”

Pink Pearl nodded, closing her eyes.

“I’m Steven.”

There was a pregnant pause, and Amethyst rubbed her arm.

“I… I guess awkward’s an understatement, huh,” she said.

“Yeah,” Steven replied. “I guess it is.”

“Yeah, it really… it really is…”

She swallowed.

“Steven, I-”

“Pearl!” 

The door flew open, and Spinel’s head stretched through towards them.

“Ball’s startin’ soon!” she said. “Pink Diamond needs you!”

Steven glanced from Spinel to Amethyst and back again.

“I guess you gotta go,” said Amethyst.

“I… we’re gonna get through this, Amethyst,” said Steven. “I… I’ll work something out.”

“ _We’ll_ work something out, dude,” replied Amethyst. “Together.”

“Work what out?” asked Spinel.

Steven sighed, turned around and walked out the door, leaving Amethyst behind in the empty, lonely storeroom. She sighed heavily and slumped on the floor.

“I wish you remembered what happened, Steven,” she sighed. “That’d make this junk so much easier…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least he's not alone anymore... but what about Connie?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ball goes ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only two days late, right? :D

**Eight**

Connie wondered if Blue Pearl had ever felt the same utter loneliness she was feeling right now.

She stood, staying as quiet as she could, beside the towering form of Blue Diamond as she sat on her throne, waiting patiently for the ball to start. Did she ever do anything for _fun_ , Connie thought? Surely she didn’t just… _sit about_ between balls and colonies, did she?

Who knew? Certainly not a humble Pearl.

She looked down at herself, lifting her blue arms, turning them around. She could see the standard pointed nose of a pearl as a blur at the bottom of her nose (how she could see so clearly through the thick fringe of hair, she couldn’t possibly tell.)

These were thin arms, almost impossibly so, attached to a slender body and long legs. Her proportions were _wrong,_ even if she had begun to grow used to them. Would she, in time? Would she settle into the role of Blue Pearl, the quiet, docile servant of Blue Diamond? Would she be stuck here for thousands of years, until Era 3 eventually began? Or would she chafe under the rigid caste system, take up the sword and rebel, and thus irrecoverably change the timeline?

She told herself she’d get home. But what if she didn’t?

No. She would not even consider the possibility. She’d get out of this mess. She always did.

When Steven was around she did, in any case.

“Pearl.”

Connie looked up, somehow managing to stop herself from jumping at the sudden sound. Blue Diamond had stood up; she was already starting to move.

“We’re leaving,” she said matter-of-factly. “Make sure you’re ready when we get there.”

“Y-yes, my Diamond.”

She thought back, remembering what the original Blue Pearl had said when introducing her Diamond at the Era 3 Ball, oh so long ago (or perhaps ‘oh so long _to_ go.’) She hoped she was remembering it correctly.

At least Pink Pearl would probably be having an easier time.

* * *

“Oh stars, oh gosh, what am I meant to say, oh jeez…”

Steven whispered under his breath as the entourage approached the throne room. Pink Diamond would be arriving first - Spinel took the lead, skipping merrily, a wide grin on her face. Pink was at the back, flanked by a small squad of Rubies who encircled her as protection (it looked a bit goofy, if Steven was honest - the diamond towered over her own security.) Steven walked next to her; he felt very small.

“Ooh! Pink!” exclaimed Spinel. “Can I introduce you this time? Can I? Can I please?”

Pink pursed her lips.

“We’ve really gotta take this seriously, Spinel,” she replied. “Pearl can handle this.”

“Oh _please_ , Pink? I’ve been really good!”

Pink glanced down at Steven.

“But I’m sure Pearl really enjoys introducing me!” she replied. “Don’t you, Pearl?”

“I…”

“Just this once?” 

Spinel looked up at Pink with wide eyes, her eyelids fluttering.

Pink sighed.

“ _Fine_ ,” she replied. “But only because we’re the first to get here.”

“Yes!”

They reached the door - a few Topazes stood on either side, the curtains obscuring the throne room beyond. Beyond that, Steven knew there were gems - dozens of them, all waiting to see the radiance of Blue and Pink Diamond in the same room, ready for a perfectly choreographed performance.

“Okay,” said Pink. “Here we go.”

She nodded to the Topazes, and they pulled back the curtain. Spinel grinned and cartwheeled ahead of them, landing on her feet with a practiced flourish and a bow.

“ _Presenting_ the incomparable brightness and elegance of the _beautiful_ and _radiant_ Pink Diamond!”

“Who is this?”

The voice was sharp and pitiless, and Steven felt his core turn cold.

Yellow Diamond sat on her throne, arms crossed - she did not look amused. She gazed down at Spinel with a deep frown, her brows furrowed. Next to her, Yellow Pearl stood at attention.

Pink, for her part, looked like she was about to die of embarrassment on the spot. Her gaze was shooting from Spinel to Yellow Diamond and back again, her jaw slightly ajar.

“I… Yellow, I… I didn’t know…”

“My schedule cleared up,” replied Yellow Diamond. “Why isn’t your Pearl introducing you, Pink?”

Pink swallowed.

“I… my Spinel wanted…”

“It doesn’t _matter_ what your Spinel _wants_ ,” snapped Yellow Diamond. “You are her _Diamond._ It’s your job to make sure she behaves _properly_.”

Pink rubbed her arm. “Y-yes, Yellow. I’m sorry.”

Yellow sighed.

“You’re young,” she replied. “It’s to be expected. Take your throne, Pink - and get that unsightly little Spinel out of here.”

Spinel gazed up at Pink - Steven could see the hurt in her eyes.

“Pink, I-”

“ _Out,_ ” Pink snapped, pointing to the door.

Steven watched as Spinel trudged out, her head bowed. As she disappeared behind the curtain, Steven could see her shoulders start to shake.

He opened his mouth to say something despite himself, but the entourage was already moving to the giant thrones, and he had no choice but to follow.

* * *

“Pre… prepare yourself emotionally for the r… radiant Blue Diamond.”

Yellow Pearl pursed her lips. It wasn’t like Blue to fumble her Diamond’s introduction. Of course, nobody seemed to notice (or if they did, they didn’t dare speak up), but it was very much the principle of the thing! Pearls had _standards_.

She tried not to look too put out as Blue Diamond’s entourage approached, the Aquamarines floating above like angels. Blue didn’t pay much attention to them, or the quiet but adoring crowd - she was in hushed discussion with a Sapphire, her mouth set in a concerned frown. Not a good sign, Yellow Pearl thought, but it wasn’t her business.

Eventually, Blue Diamond reached the thrones and sat down on hers, the Sapphire melting into the audience.

“Trouble?” asked Yellow Diamond.

“Potentially,” replied Blue Diamond. “But it will have to wait until after the Ball. I don’t want this heard by the common gemfolk.”

Yellow Diamond nodded. “You and I will discuss it as soon as the Ball ends.”

“You and I?” snapped Pink Diamond. “Meaning, not _me?_ ”

“This doesn’t concern…” Yellow Diamond began.

“Actually,” said Blue Diamond, “it might concern you, Pink. And even if it does not, she needs to become more involved in Diamond matters, Yellow.”

“She can become more involved when she proves she can be trusted,” sniffed Yellow Diamond.

Blue Diamond shot her a meaningful look.

“...fine,” Yellow Diamond grumbled. “We shall _all_ discuss it.”

Pink Diamond beamed.

The evening carried on. Yellow Pearl watched impassively as the proceedings went ahead; the choreographed dancing, the presentation of the various types of gem before their diamonds, the quiet chatter between the three matriarchs. It was a show the pearl had seen repeated time and time again, proceeding exactly as planned to the smallest detail.

Except… not this time.

Only the trained eye of a pearl would ever notice, but there were banners in the wrong places, and gems were lined up in the wrong order. Lapis Lazulis were supposed to be _left_ of the Sapphires, not right! If only she’d known her Diamond was coming ahead of time - she’d have everything absolutely perfect!

Eventually, the ball came to a close. Each type of gem slowly flowed out through the side entrances, ordered by court and caste - Blue first, then Yellow, then Pink. The soldier gems marched, the performing gems danced, the aristocrats left in their small cliches, and the others left without ceremony for their work stations and construction projects.

At last, the Diamonds and their pearls were alone.

“Pearls,” snapped Yellow Diamond, getting up from her throne. “Leave. We need to discuss this matter alone.”

Yellow Pearl’s brow furrowed as she saw Pink and Blue exchange glances - how unprofessional of them!

“Yes, my Diamond,” she said, bowing.

Without another word, she strode for the door, not even looking to see if her fellow pearls were following - she kept her nose pointed at the exit, making absolute sure not to gaze upon the Diamonds when they did not wish her to.

She paid no heed to the words of Blue Diamond as she passed through the curtain.

“My Sapphire believes we have a rebel in our midst.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Diamonds discuss a traitor...

**Nine**

“My Sapphire believes we have a traitor in our midst.”

Connie shuddered as she heard Blue Diamond’s announcement, but she had no time to listen to more as the curtain flowed shut behind her. The pearls were alone now - not even the Topaz guards remained. When the Diamonds said they wanted to be alone, they very clearly meant it.

Before she could think much of Blue Diamond’s words, Yellow swung round.

“What kind of a ball was that?” she snapped.

“Y-Yellow?” stammered Pink.

“You had gems out of place!” exclaimed Yellow. “Banners in the wrong positions! There were patches of the floor that were less polished than the rest! You are _Diamond’s pearls_ , you need to do better!”

“I-I didn’t… I didn’t notice anything wrong,” stammered Pink.

Yellow frowned.

“Clearly you needed to look _harder_ ,” she replied.

She turned to Blue.

“Blue, I am _surprised_ ,” she said. “Why didn’t you notice any of these-”

“It’s not her fault.”

Pink had stepped forward, putting a hand on Yellow’s shoulder; the other pearl glanced from her hand to her face in utter confusion, looking as though Pink had grown a second head.

“I… I asked Spinel for help,” explained Pink. “My… my Diamond wanted me to think outside the box, so I asked her, and… it’s definitely not Blue’s fault.”

Yellow pursed her lips.

“Well, don’t do that again,” she said grumpily, crossing her arms.

She glanced back at the curtain - Connie couldn’t hear the Diamonds beyond, and she wished she could poke her head through and listen in. No such luck - she couldn’t blow her cover.

“Who do you think this traitor is?” asked Yellow.

Connie’s jaw dropped. Was Yellow… _gossiping?_

“I…” Connie replied, staggered. “I’m not sure the Diamonds want us to-”

“Oh, nonsense,” replied Yellow. “Finding this rebel is important to the diamonds! We have to keep our vision spheres pealed! Anyway, I reckon it’s a Ruby. You can never trust Rubies!”

Connie turned to Pink - she seemed almost as surprised as she was.

“Well? Come on, I want to hear your theories,” said Yellow. “For security’s sake, you know!”

“Um…” Connie put a quizzical finger on her chin. “Maybe an… Agate?”

“Hmm, yes, that’s possible… but not as possible as a Ruby! You see, Rubies are naturally…”

As Yellow began to drone on, Connie shook her head.

Gems, she thought, were always more human than they liked to admit.

* * *

“This is a very serious security matter,” declared Yellow Diamond as she paced the throne room.

Pink stood between the other two diamonds, deep in thought. Blue’s news had been alarming; her Sapphire had predicted the presence of a traitor in one of their courts! The prediction was vague, for now - without more information, the Sapphire hadn’t been able to say more - but the implications were frankly terrifying.

There had been rebellions before, of course; distant governors who thought they were cleverer than the diamonds, dissatisfied workers with ideas above their stations. But these had been small affairs, and had been very easily crushed. A rebel within the palace was a scary prospect, especially one who they hadn’t identified - they could attack the Diamonds by surprise at any moment!

She hoped it was a weak gem. A rebel pearl, for example, would be no serious threat to anyone.

“I have increased the guards around my quarters,” said Blue. “I recommend you do the same. But we really must get to the bottom of this, before… before _White_ gets involved.”

Yellow nodded sagely.

“Indeed,” she said. “We’ll all have a role to play. That means _you_ , Pink.”

“Of course!” declared Pink. “I’ll find this traitor, no problem!”

Yellow shook her head.

“I don’t want you to go out of your way to endanger yourself,” she replied. “That’s a quartz’s job. You are to increase security and surveillance amongst your gems, and keep a sharp eye on everything.”

“Like… running a colony?” Pink asked, smiling innocently.

“Really, this isn’t the-”

“Yes,” said Blue, kneeling down to Pink’s height. “Like a colony. This will be an excellent lesson in gem management.”

“And will I get a colony if I pass?” asked Pink excitedly.

Blue glanced at Yellow - the latter grimaced and shook her head.

“We will definitely tell White what a good job you have done,” replied Blue. “Perhaps she may finally have a world ready…”

Pink’s eyes lit up as Yellow pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I won’t let you down!” she exclaimed. “I promise!”

Blue smiled warmly.

“I know you won’t,” she replied. “Now, let’s get down to business.”

“Yes,” grunted Yellow. “I want this traitor found and crushed. No _mistakes_ , Pink.”

Pink frowned as Yellow stormed away.

* * *

Steven jumped as Yellow Diamond burst out from behind the curtain. She said nothing, marching off towards her palace. Without a word or a wave, Yellow Pearl followed after her, practically having to run to keep up with the giant matriarch.

It wasn’t long after that Blue Diamond emerged, Pink following after her. The bigger diamond was smiling, even if the smaller looked put out.

“...she just wants what’s best for you, Pink,” Blue Diamond said softly. “She wants you to be the best Diamond you can be.”

“She wants me to keep out of her way,” sniffed Pink.

Blue chuckled.

“She adores you, you know?” she said. “Trust me. Now, shall we retire to the extraction chamber?”

Pink shook her head.

“No,” she replied. “There’s something I need to do.”

“Very well,” said Blue. “Come, Pearl.”

Steven glanced at Blue Pearl. For a moment, she seemed to hesitate - then she followed her Diamond, practically running to keep pace with her.

She didn’t seem quite as… _graceful_ as Steven might have expected.

“Pearl.”

Pink’s voice broke the silence.

“My Diamond?” Steven replied.

“Come with me,” said Pink, her tone sharp and serious. “There’s someone I need to speak to.”

She marched off towards her palace, and Steven followed.

He noted her body language with no small apprehension. Her shoulders were hunched, her fists clenched tightly. She was stomping as she walked, the sound of her feet hitting the hard polished floors echoing as they went. It was abundantly clear that Pink Diamond was absolutely furious.

They re-entered her palace, marching past the storage room (Steven shot it a nervous glance) and towards Pink’s chambers. Without knocking, pausing or taking so much as a breath, she stormed inside.

“ _Spinel._ ”

Spinel was sitting on the floor, her spindly arms and legs tangled up around her like strands of discarded spaghetti. Steven could see dried tears on her cheeks, but at the moment, she just seemed utterly… _flat._ She looked up as Pink entered the room.

“My Diamond!” she squeaked. “I am so sorry, I-”

“You embarrassed me in front of Yellow!” thundered Pink.

She grabbed one of Spinel’s arms and yanked her up to eye level. The smaller gem yelped.

“Do you know how hard it is to get her to respect me?” bellowed Pink. “She thinks I can’t control my gems because of you!”

“I… I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!” exclaimed Spinel. She was shaking, her eyes wide as saucers. Steven felt his throat constrict, frozen in place; he had to do something, but he couldn’t blow his cover.

“I’ll make _sure_ you won’t,” growled Pink, and Steven could see her skin start to glow.

“My Diamond, wait!” he exclaimed. “I-I-I should have stopped her! It’s my fault!”

Pink turned - her teeth were gritted.

“That’s not the _point_ , Pearl,” she spat. “It was _her_ idea. She _made_ me go along with it.”

“I-I’m sure she’s learned her lesson, though!” exclaimed Steven. “R-right, Spinel?”

He glanced at Spinel. She was nodding vigorously, a very nervous smile on her face.

Pink sighed.

“Forget this,” she grunted.

She flung Spinel over her shoulder - with a loud crash, she slammed into the opposite wall and slowly slid down to the floor like a rubber toy.

“Pearl, leave me,” she snapped. “I need time to think. Spinel… just _get out._ ”

Steven beat a hasty retreat, grabbing Spinel’s arm on the way and gently dragging her out the door. It shut behind them, leaving them alone in the corridor.

“Spinel?” asked Steven. “Are… are you okay?”

Spinel twisted her head around to look at Steven - her whole body was still tangled on the floor, noodly limbs twisted and tangled around her torso. Her face was set in a frown, her eyes glassy.

“Leave me alone, Pearl,” she said glumly.

“I…”

“Please.”

Steven swallowed and nodded. With a heavy heart, he turned and left Spinel to her funk.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst has an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus, life has been busy. I'm hoping to try and update more regularly going forward.

**Ten**

Amethyst sighed as she lay on her back, blowing a stray hair out of her face.

“Man,” she muttered. “This is so _boring._ I hate the past.”

The door opened and she sat up - Steven was walking in, his face set in a frown. It was odd; now that she knew this was Steven and not Pink Pearl, she could sort of see his expressions and quirks on her face. Maybe that was just a trick of the mind, but the frown on her face was very much a ‘Steven’ look.

“How’d Pink’s ball go?” asked Amethyst.

Steven shrugged.

“It was long,” he replied. “Boring, too.”

“Sounds right,” nodded Amethyst.

“We’ve got a problem, though,” added Steven. “Blue and Yellow Diamond know something’s up?”

“They know something’s up?” demanded Amethyst. “What do you mean?”

“They said there’s a traitor among us,” replied Steven. “That’s all I really heard.”

Amethyst pursed her lips.

“Well,” she said. “We gotta get back to the future before they find us.”

“How do we do that?” demanded Steven.

“Gems have time travel stuff, right?” replied Amethyst. “Like the hourglass? We just find one of those and sail off back to the future.”

“Yeah, a few problems with that,” snapped Steven. “First, we don’t know where to find one. Two, a Pearl and an Amethyst can’t really walk up to a Homeworld lab and take an hourglass. Three, I’d still be stuck in Volleyball’s body!”

“Yeah, but we could get ‘Dot to fix it, bro.”

“If we don’t change the future before we get there!” shouted Steven.

He rubbed his temples.

“I’m sorry, Amethyst, I’m just… I’m under a lot of pressure,” he said. “There’s so much happening and I don’t know how to fix any of it.”

Amethyst rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

“I, uh, I did hear about one option.”

“What?” Steven glanced at her, eyes wide.

“There’s a lab,” said Amethyst. “Peri told me about it once. The Black Sector or something; it’s where Homeworld’s secret experiments happened or something.”

Steven blinked. _The Black Sector_ \- why did that sound familiar? Perhaps Peridot had mentioned it to him before, and he’d just forgotten about it. It sounded about right; he tended to zone out when Peridot went into her special interests.

“Yeah,” nodded Amethyst. “I can’t remember where it was, though.”

“Pink Diamond might!” said Steven. “We need to get it out of her… but how do we do that?”

Both gems pondered.

“She trusts you, right?” replied Amethyst. “Heck, she _likes_ you. Maybe butter her up a bit and find a way to, y’know, ask her without asking?”

“Yeah… yeah!” Steven snapped his fingers. “Like saying, ‘hey, have you got any reports on the Black Sector, my Diamond?’ Except probably less strong than that… ooh, maybe the other Pearls can help? I mean, probably not _Yellow_ , but…”

“No,” replied Amethyst. “I don’t think they need to get involved in this. They could tell Blue and Yellow Diamond, and then we’d be done, dude. Keep it to us for now.”

Steven’s lips thinned.

“What about Spinel?” he asked. “Maybe we can trust her?”

“You wanna bet the future on that, Steven?”

Steven’s lips thinned even further.

“...do we have any choice?” he asked.

Amethyst crossed her arms.

“I… I don’t know,” she replied. “Maybe if we have no choice or somethin’. But for now, keep it between us, huh?”

Steven had no choice but to agree.

* * *

The big conundrum was that Steven couldn’t exactly walk up to Pink Diamond and ask what the Black Sector was; and not just because of how forward that was.

Security had been increased in the palace, and while the Diamonds were left alone in their chambers, there were guards stationed around all the entrances and walkways between the various complexes. The risk that one might be listening, no matter how remote, put Steven on edge. Perhaps he was paranoid, but he wouldn’t put it past Yellow and Blue to put a little sentry under Pink’s balcony, or to discreetly bug her chambers.

That left the garden, and there was another issue there.

Pink was still angry at Spinel, and was therefore avoiding the garden. Steven had subtly suggested a visit a few times, and the way she tensed up and grimaced told him everything. As long as Pink was mad at Spinel, they would not be going there.

They spent the entire next day alone in the palace, and frankly it was torturous. Pink lay on her bed, stared at the ceiling, and sulked without a word. For her this was probably a short pout, but for a human like Steven, it dragged and dragged. Few words were exchanged, and Steven got the very distinct impression that, for today at least, anything he had to say was very much _not welcome._

The day after was a little better. Pink’s pout session had ended, and she took her ‘pearl’ down to the palace grounds - a place Steven hadn’t known existed. It was much like a small park on Earth - there were neat hedges with leaves in the colours of the four diamonds, carefully arranged into diamond shapes. At the centre, between the four hedge diamonds, was a fountain with a graceful statue of a lapis lazuli spraying water from her arms, and the middle of the hedges were topiaries shaped like the four diamonds.

Steven wondered if this place still existed. He imagined a Steven-shaped pink topiary and internally cringed.

There were a few upper-class gems here, and Pink took the time to mingle with them. It was a strange sight; she didn’t approach them as equals, but almost like a cool teenage babysitter working to take interest in her charges; friendly, yet patronising. If the other gems saw it that way, they didn’t dare show it - a few sapphires reacted to Pink’s exaggerated _oooooohs_ and _aaaaaahs_ about their work with patient smiles and deferential nods.

The various pearls were left by the fountain, standing gracefully in place - you might have mistaken them for a row of statues if it wasn’t for the whispered conversations between them. They seemed content and adoring of their masters; which was decidedly unnerving for Steven. It was wrong, and he was sure there was a word for it. Stockholm Syndrome, wasn’t it?

He turned to look at the statue. It looked a lot like the Lapis he knew, except with slightly longer hair, and a blue gem on her knee. The gem contrasted the peach marble of the statue, and he wondered if it had been made from different-

The statue blinked, and Steven jumped.

“Is something wrong?”

A light purple pearl standing next to him glanced over to him.

“The-the-the statue just blinked,” he stammered.

The pearl nodded sadly.

“Yes,” she said. “She must have failed in her duties.”

“...failed?” Steven’s metaphorical heart sank.

“Yes,” nodded the pearl, “my Morganite says most of the statues here are aristocratic gems that made mistakes, or were disloyal. They’re here to make sure the others behave.”

Steven pursed his lips.

“Oh,” he said. “That’s… oh.”

“It’s like she says,” whispered the pearl. “Never step out of line. Even the greatest of gems can be replaced.”

Steven didn’t know for sure, but for a moment, he was sure the pearl had glanced in Pink Diamond’s direction.

But before he could ask, he heard Pink calling, already strolling back to her palace. Swallowing his questions and his anxieties, he walked after her, a deep feeling of unease wracking him the whole way pack to Pink’s chambers.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie pays a visit.

**Eleven**

“I believe,” huffed the Agate, “that the traitor has to be a Peridot.”

Connie sighed, blowing one of her many, many hairs out of her face. This Agate, tall and dark blue and commanding a small detachment of Amethysts, certainly liked the sound of her own voice. She had been speaking incessantly for hours, shouting orders and insults to the guards outside Blue Diamond’s personal chamber; it was really getting on her nerves, and she had no patience for whatever gossip she was getting into now.

“I think it might be a-” an Amethyst began.

“ _Silence!_ I believe this traitor has to be a Peridot,” sniffed the Agate. “You simply can’t trust a Peridot. Rotten little things, the lot of them; they should have been discontinued cycles ago.”

Connie smirked mentally.

“Are you saying my Diamond has made a mistake?” she asked innocently.

The Agate turned.

“What?” she spat.

“If the Diamonds believed peridots were defective, they would have discontinued them,” she said, smiling faintly. “Are you saying they made a mistake?”

The Agate turned decidedly _purple_.

“I… I… no, I… I, um…”

She regained her posture.

“Shut up, you pathetic little pearl, no one asked you!”

Connie smiled with fake sweetness as she went back to standing still outside the door. For what it was worth, the Agate shut up, concerning herself with inspecting the posture of the Amethyst guards.

Being a pearl, to put it lightly, sucked. Connie hated being unable to talk back, to stand up for herself, to fight back. In a way, that made the little moments like this all the sweeter.

Still, when she got back, she was going to let Steven know _exactly_ what she thought of the Diamonds, now she’d gotten to know them in their prime.

The door opened, and Blue Diamond slunk out. Idly, Connie wondered if she had legs.

“I’m going to see Pink,” she declared. “Come, Pearl.”

Connie followed as demurely as she could as Blue Diamond set off.

One thing that really bothered her was the familiarity of the situation. In Blue Diamond, she could see the face of her mother; the stifling rules, the demands for perfection, the emotional distance. Sure, Priyanka had gotten better with time, but she still hated being reminded of those times; of how she had felt back then.

It wasn’t a long walk to Pink’s chambers; Pink Diamond had greeted her fellow Diamond warmly, and the two had retreated into her room, leaving their pearls outside. It was quiet out here - Pink Pearl seemed uneasy. Must be the heightened security, Connie thought.

“What happened to the Amethyst?” she asked.

Amethyst. That was her lifeline - she just needed the opportunity to meet her alone.

Pink Pearl glanced around - was she looking for a bug?

“She’s safe,” she replied softly.

Connie pursed her lips.

“Good,” she replied, “but where is _safe?_ ”

“I…”

Pink Pearl took a deep breath.

“She's still in the storage closet,” she whispered. “I can’t think of anywhere safer for her.”

“Are you sure no one will find her there?” asked Connie.

Pink Pearl furrowed her eyebrows.

“I don’t think so,” she replied. “Spinel said…”

She shook her head.

“She’ll be fine,” she said, almost as if she was trying to convince herself as much as anyone.

Connie swallowed.

“Can… can I see her?” she asked. “Bl- our Diamonds won’t be out for a while anyway…”

Pink pursed her lips, glancing back at the closed door to her Diamond’s chamber. She swallowed hard.

“Yes,” she replied. “But really quickly, okay?”

She started off, walking briskly as her shoes echoed on the polished floors. Connie followed as quickly as she could.

It wasn’t long before they reached the storage closet. Pink Pearl placed her hand on the console by the door, and it swung open; Amethyst lay on her back, staring at the ceiling in utter boredom. If Connie still had a heart, it would have caught - the Crystal Gem was still there! She still had a lifeline.

Amethyst sat up.

“What up, S-”

“Amethyst,” Pink said, strangely forcefully. “Blue Pearl needs to talk to you.”

Amethyst raised an eyebrow.

“O… kay,” she said. “Why’s that?”

“I…”

“I’m going to keep watch,” said Pink, stepping out the door. “Let me know when you leave the room, okay?”

Connie opened her mouth, but the door slipped shut behind her.

“So,” asked Amethyst. “What up, Bloopie?”

Connie looked around. She couldn’t see any bugs in here.

“I… I have a confession to make, Amethyst,” she said. “There’s something you need to know.”

Amethyst frowned. “Something I need to know?”

“Yes,” replied Connie. “You’re not alone.”

Amethyst tilted her head.

“What, you got another quartz stuffed around here?” she asked.

“No! No, no quartzes,” replied Connie. “It’s… it’s about me.”

“What about you?” asked Amethyst.

“I’m… I’m also a time traveller.”

There was a long, long, long silence. Connie fiddled with her fingers, wondering how Amethyst would react. Would she think she was lying? Or that she was a spy? Or-

“Oh my stars,” Amethyst said flatly. “It’s _you_ , man!”

“Yeah, it’s…”

“It’s _Pearl!_ ”

Connie resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose.

“Amethyst…”

“P, we’ve got our work cut out for us here,” said Amethyst, getting to her feet and striding over. “Because Pink-”

“I’m not Pearl!” exclaimed Connie. “I’m Connie!”

Amethyst blinked.

“Ah.”

“That’s it?” Connie quizzed. “Just… _ah?_ ”

“Well, it’s not as surprising the second time,” said Amethyst.

“The _second time?_ ” asked Connie.

“Yeah,” nodded Amethyst. “Haven’t you worked out that P-”

“Blue!”

The door flew open, and Pink stuck her head through.

“They’re nearly finished!” she hissed. “We have to get back to the door! Now!”

Connie glanced from Amethyst to Pink and back again.

“I…”

“ _Come on!_ ” Pink grabbed Connie’s arm and started to drag her off, her expression frantic. She managed one more glance at Amethyst, who was opening her mouth to call something to her.

Before a sound could be made, the door slid shut.

* * *

Steven mentally sighed as he watched Blue Diamond and her Pearl walk away. It had been closer than he would have liked - he’d strolled back to the Chamber door just in time to hear Blue start to explain she had places to be, and had had to book it back to the storage closet as fast as his spindley Pearl legs would carry him.

What had Blue been thinking? Couldn’t she just let him handle Amethyst? Sure, with Spinel in the doghouse, the help was appreciated, but it was too dangerous for Blue to just wander around Pink’s palace!

What on Earth had she wanted to talk about, anyway?

As soon as Blue was gone, Pink started strolling in the direction of the warp pad, Steven sprinting to catch up.

“Where are we going, My Diamond?” he asked.

Pink let out a long sigh.

“We’re going to see Spinel,” she replied.

“Spinel?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I want to use the Garden again, and that means I have to…” She grimaced. “ _...let it go_ , you know?”

Steven nodded. Deep down, he understood the feeling.

They reached the warp pad, and Steven took his place by Pink. There was the familiar vertigo as they warped, and then they were standing in the garden.

Spinel sat in the middle, flopped on the ground like a lump of spaghetti. Her head shot up as she saw her Diamond, and her eyes lit up. She seemed hesitant to come over, waiting for Pink to say what she needed.

“Spinel…” Pink took a deep breath.

“P-Pink?”

Pink ran a hand through her hair.

“You’re forgiven,” she said, almost wearily.

Steven picked up the lack of sincerity in her words, and deep down, he believed Spinel did too. Yet she pulled herself up, limbs retracting and straightening until they no longer looked like noodles, and forced a wide grin onto her face.

“Aw shucks, Pinkie!” she exclaimed. “I’m real glad to hear that!”

She cartwheeled over, bouncing in place as she looked up at Pink.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked. “Juggling? Skipping? Dancing? I-”

“I just wanna sit for a moment, Spinsy,” replied Pink, sitting down on the steps. “Take the garden in. It’s all been a bit much lately.”

She sat down, letting out a big sigh. Steven sat down next to her, and for a while, they all sat in silence. Steven wondered what she was thinking - what had she and Blue discussed? Had she been disappointed about a colony again? Told to be patient once more? Put back in ‘her place?’

After a while, he decided to speak - he didn’t know when he’d get the opportunity to again, after all.

“My Diamond?” he asked.

“Hmm?” Pink glanced over to her.

“H-have you heard anything about the Black Sector?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit forward there, Steven.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is the Black Sector?

**Twelve**

“The Black Sector?”

Pink tilted her head.

“How do you know about that, Pearl?”

Steven’s lips thinned. _Oops._

“Uh…” He rubbed the back of his head. “I-I overheard something about it, and I was wondering… I-I mean, I know pearls shouldn’t _wonder_ , but…”

Pink scoffed.

“You’re allowed to _wonder_ , Pearl,” she replied. “I’m not exactly Yellow, you know?”

Steven swallowed and shut up.

Pink leaned back, staring up at the starry sky.

“I don’t know too much about it,” she replied. “It’s a White thing. Blue and Yellow probably know more, although it’s not like they’d tell me.”

 _A White thing._ Steven could have cursed. _That only makes things more difficult._

“It’s a very secret lab,” continued Pink. “Probably the most secure place in the Empire. They invented the warp pads, and most of our starship engines. Plus they work on experiments.”

“Like… time travel?” asked Steven.

Pink glanced at him.

“J-just as an idea!” exclaimed Steven. “I-I was just g-guessing-”

“You know,” replied Pink, “I don’t actually know. It sounds like something the Black Sector would do. But I’ve never been there, so I wouldn’t know.”

She chuckled.

“You’d need a warp pad with special clearance to get there - Yellow’s or Blue’s, maybe.”

She crossed her arms.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” she replied. “They won’t let me in there - and they _definitely_ wouldn’t let a Pearl in.”

“What about me?” Spinel cartwheeled over.

Pink shot her a meaningful look.

“Do you know where it is?” asked Steven.

Pink shook her head.

“No,” she replied. “Nobody does. Nobody except the gems specifically assigned to work there.”

She clenched her fists.

“ _Speaking of which_ ,” she growled, “I still haven’t gotten a science gem for that investigation White wants me to do! Where in the stars are you supposed to get one of those, huh?”

Pink launched into a long tirade, and Steven sighed. No luck from her, he supposed; he’d have to get the answer from Blue or Yellow, and how on Earth would he get that?

* * *

The answer came much sooner than expected.

When Pink, Steven and Spinel arrived back at the palace warp pad, they were met by a pearl. She was a pink-white in colour, her hair purple and almost triangular, like a fancy Peridot might look. She had large shoulder pads, and her outfit was entirely white. She bowed as she took in Pink Diamond’s presence.

“Your radiance,” she said, “White Diamond requests your presence.”

Steven nearly choked as Pink’s eyes widened.

“Wh-White Diamond?!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, your radiance,” nodded the pearl. “She needs to discuss your energy reading problem.”

“I… of course!” replied Pink. “Come on, Pearl, let’s-”

“Your pearl’s presence is not required,” said the pearl curtly. “She will remain here.”

“I… of course, that makes sense,” nodded Pink. “Lead the way, White Pearl!”

She turned to Steven and Spinel.

“I’ll be back soon, I promise,” she said. “I just need-”

“ _Come_ , your radiance.” 

The pearl’s voice was unexpectedly sharp.

Pink turned, sprinting off after the pearl, and leaving Spinel and Steven in her wake.

“Welp,” said Spinel, leaning back and forth. “What d’ya wanna do while we wait, Pink P?”

“I…” Steven pursed his lips. “I think I need to talk to Amethyst again.”

“Oh, okay!” said Spinel. “We’ll-”

“No, just me,” snapped Steven.

There was a brief silence, and Steven instantly regretted speaking so forcefully.

“I mean, she-she’s most used to me right now,” he said, cringing as Spinel frowned. “I-I-I just think, until she’s more comfortable, that…”

“Yeah, right,” nodded Spinel. “That makes sense. You… you go do your thing, Pearlie! I’ll just be back in Pink’s chamber… on my own… alone…”

Steven turned and marched away, leaving Spinel behind. He felt a twinge of guilt, but he knew he couldn’t discuss time travel around her - the less people who knew, the better.

* * *

Even to a diamond like Pink, White Diamond’s chamber was cavernous. She always felt a sense of awe at the giant pillars, the shined floor and the vast diamond mosaic in the centre, and the enormous window that looked out over the city - _her_ city. Apart from the splashes of yellow, blue and pink on the mosaic, all was crisp white and shined silver, immaculately clean and shined to the point that Pink could see herself reflected in the tiles.

Yet all this paled in comparison to the radiance of White Diamond. She stood by the window, her back turned, gazing out over her domain, her body its own source of light. It was like standing next to a star - it almost hurt to gaze upon her.

White Pearl bowed - not the standard bowed salute of the other pearls, but a full bow, as if she was in front of an icon to be worshipped; which, Pink supposed, she was.

“My diamond,” she said. “I have brought Pink Diamond.”

“Excellent,” White replied. “Leave us be, will you.”

White Pearl stood up and stepped out of the chamber, never turning her back on White Diamond until the door had closed behind her.

White turned - there was a warm smile on her face, wide and radiant.

“Hello Starlight,” she said. “I trust you’re keeping well?”

 _I’d be doing better if I had a colony,_ Pink thought.

“Yes, White,” she said as innocently as she could. “Of course, White.”

“Good.”

White stepped forward.

“I do not wish to alarm you, my dear,” she said, her tone slightly grave, “but I’m afraid we have a serious problem. There is an imposter among us.”

Pink pursed her lips.

“An imposter?”

“The strange readings in your palace,” said White, “and the traitor Yellow and Blue have found, are unfortunately connected.”

Pink could have gulped. “C-connected?”

White nodded gravely.

“I am sending an inspector,” she said. “She will thoroughly examine all of our palaces - including mine - until this imposter is found. Rest assured, Pink, we _will_ get to the bottom of this, but your help will be needed.”

Pink nodded. “Of course! What do I need to do?”

The door opened behind her, and she turned around.

A grey gem, bald headed, tall and spindly, stepped into the chamber. Her eyes were covered by a jet black visor, and her unnaturally thin form was dressed in a black coat and black trousers. A triangular gem, dark and metallic, protruded from under the jacket as far as her collarbone. She walked towards the diamonds, her long strides giving her the resemblance of a spider.

Pink swallowed. The gem was shorter than her, but not by much, and her noseless face was unnaturally long, her mouth a thin line that seemed too long.

“This is Staurolite,” said White. “She is an inspector from the Black Sector. Anything she asks, you give her.”

“My diamonds,” Staurolite said, bowing. Her voice was high and raspy.

“Staurolite,” said White firmly. “You will start with Yellow’s palace, and move from there to Pink’s, and finally to Blue’s.”

“Yes, my diamond.”

“Why not start with my palace?” asked Pink. “I mean, if that’s where the problem…”

“We must not allow the traitor to gain a false sense of security,” replied Staurolite. “Nor can we allow her to be alerted by our investigation. Act too late, and she could escape. Act too early, and she could attack before we’re prepared.”

“We need to be cautious, but not _too_ cautious,” nodded White. “A good thing to keep in mind, Starlight.”

“I will begin my preparations,” declared Staurolite. “I will see you presently.”

She walked away, leaving the two diamonds alone once more.

“Starlight,” said White, leaning down to be closer to the junior diamond, “I need you to keep your eyes peeled. If you see anything that looks unusual or suspicious, you need to tell Staurolite or myself immediately. You’ll need to be on your toes and completely focused.”

“Of course!” Pink saluted. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t,” replied White. “I’ve always known, Starlight.”

She stood up and turned to the window.

“Once this is done,” she said, almost absolutely, “I’d like to discuss something else with you. Providing, of course, the investigation goes well.”

Her head inclined up, eyes looking up at the stars.

“Make me proud, Starlight.”

Pink beamed and just about sprinted out the door. This was it, she thought - this was her chance! Do well, and she might finally get a colony!

She never noticed Staurolite and White Pearl standing quietly by the door. The tall grey gem watched her disappear, before quietly walking back into her diamond’s chamber.

“We already have suspects, my Diamond,” she said. “We have seen the surveillance cameras in the garden. Why carry on with this game?”

“ _We_ know who to suspect,” replied White Diamond. “But I want to test Pink. I fear she has too much of a connection to that pearl of hers. It’s… unbecoming to become so attached to a toy.”

Staurolite nodded.

“Yet her attention span is limited,” added White. “Dangle a colony under her eyes, and I am sure she’ll throw away her childish old things in an instant.”

“And if you are wrong, my Diamond?”

White turned. There was a long silence.

“Very few gems could get away with being so direct, Staurolite,” she said, her voice firm.

“I simply-”

“You may be part of the Black Sector,” sniffed White, “but you are _not_ above the laws of caste. I have contingencies in place. You _will_ trust in that.”

“Of course, my Diamond.”

Staurolite walked out of the chamber, leaving White Diamond in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know, an OC, but I needed to fill this role lol.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The inspection begins...

**Thirteen**

Steven’s face fell.

He was standing outside the closet, but could go no further. A pair of tall quartz guards stood outside at attention, and beyond that, he could see a white-uniformed Peridot - probably the one Spinel had seen - checking the room with a large scanner on her limb enhancer.

“What’s happening?” he blurted out.

One of the quartzes - a big, burly, purple-red Amethyst - snorted.

“What’s it to you, Pearlie?” she sniffed.

“Hey, that’s Pink Diamond’s Pearl,” snapped the other, a slightly shorter Jasper with shoulder-length hair. “Show some respect.”

“A Pearl’s still a Pearl,” snorted the Amethyst. “Just a fancy little toy,”

The Jasper grunted.

“White Diamond’s ordered more scans of the palaces,” she replied. “7E7 in there decided to get in early. Thinks she’ll get points for showing initiative.”

“I heard that, clod!” snapped the Peridot.

The Jasper held in a chuckle.

“We won’t be long,” she continued.

“Not that your time is worth anything,” added the Amethyst.

“She could be collecting supplies for Pink Diamond,” warned the Jasper.

Steven nodded slowly. He was gazing past them, at the Peridot. Among the balls and cubes gathered there, he could see a little rubber ball that didn’t match the others - it wasn’t really Pink, more… _purple_.

_Shoot._

Steven gulped as the Peridot stepped towards it, scanner running. She let out a long _hmmm_ and began to scan the balls around the disguised Amethyst.

“I-I don’t mean to be rude, but I really need-”

“Wait your turn, pebble,” snapped the Amethyst.

“My Diamond _really_ needs-”

“I said _wait your turn_ ,” the quartz snarled again.

“But I need the purple ball!” exclaimed Steven.

“Watch your mouth!”

“It could be important,” mused the Jasper. “She probably needs it for Pink Diamond’s use.”

“Urgently?” retorted the Amethyst.

“She’s a _Diamond_.”

The Amethyst snorted.

“I’m sorry, Pearlie,” she snapped. “But your dinky little diamond can wait for her dinky little-”

“ _You. Designation._ ”

The Amethyst froze as everyone - including the Peridot - turned around.

A tall, grey gem had appeared behind them, her long, thin mouth twisted into a scowl.

“I… what?” spluttered the Amethyst.

“Staurolite!” exclaimed the Peridot. “I’m-”

“I’m not talking to you, 7E7,” snarled Staurolite. “ _You_ are not meant to be here. We’ll discuss your… _initiative_ … later.”

The Peridot looked like she’d been punched in the face.

“You,” said Staurolite. “Amethyst. Designation.”

“I… Amethyst Facet-10 Cut-1TB, ma’am!” she replied, saluting.

“Amethyst Facet-10 Cut-1TB,” nodded Staurolite. “You just insulted a Diamond. This is a shattering offense.”

“I… I… but…”

“Effective immediately, your gem is forfeit to the Black Sector under the powers invested to me by White Diamond,” continued Staurolite.

“But… but I… no, please, I’m sorry!” exclaimed the Amethyst. “I…”

Staurolite brought her hands together, her index fingers and thumb extended. As if she was pulling a small string, she pulled them apart from each other.

A mist of blackness enveloped both of the Amethyst’s hands, and with a shriek they were pulled in opposite directions. The Amethyst screamed as she was literally tugged from both sides, black disruption lines spreading from her arms and across her body.

“Please!” she exclaimed. “It was just one mistake!”

“One mistake too many,” Staurolite replied.

The Amethyst shrieked, and Steven gasped as her face began to peel apart like the skin of a banana, followed by her neck and chest. Staurolite made one last gentle tug, and for a moment, it was as if the Amethyst had been neatly sawed down the middle, save for a few strings of light connecting each side of her bisected body.

Then there was a poof.

For a moment, her gem floated freely in the air. Then it whizzed forward, landing gently in Staurolite’s right palm.

“The rest of you,” she said calmly, “will follow me.”

The tall gem tucked the Amethyst into her coat, turned on her heel, and began to stride off towards the warp pad. The Jasper and Peridot shared nervous looks before swiftly sprinting after her, leaving Steven alone.

He took a step into the closet, and realised he was shaking. There was a flash as Amethyst transformed back into her normal form - her eyes were wide, and it was clear she was equally terrified.

“Who the heck was _that?_ ” she demanded.

“I-I don’t know,” replied Steven. “I… I really hope we don’t see her again, though.”

“Man, knowing our luck?” snorted Amethyst.

She glanced left and right.

“Look, Steven, I gotta tell-”

“Pearlie!’ Spinel’s voice echoed down the hallway. “Pink needs ya!”

Steven cringed.

“It’s going to have to wait, Amethyst,” he replied. “I have to run.”

“But Steven, it’s important!”

“I’ll be back when I can!” he exclaimed, racing out the door and leaving Amethyst behind.

Amethyst sighed.

“Sometimes, Steven, I swear…” he muttered.

* * *

Pink paced in front of her gems, her face set in an uncharacteristically serious frown. Spinel made sure to stand as ramrod straight as she could, knowing that this would be a serious conversation, and that no horseplay or foolishness would be tolerated.

Pearl stood next to her - she noticed that she looked very ill at ease. She seemed almost to be shaking slightly.

“Okay,” said Pink, running a hand through her hair. “White Diamond is conducting an investigation.”

“Into the energy signals or whatever?” asked Spinel.

“Spinel, don’t interrupt!” snapped Pink.

Spinel gulped and shut her mouth.

Pink closed her eyes and exhaled.

“Yes,” she said, “into those. And… other things. Things I can’t tell you.”

She opened her eyes again and looked down on the gems.

“While it’s going on,” she continued. “I need you both to be on your best behavior - _especially you_ , Spinel. No accidents, no mistakes, no nothing, do you understand?”

“Alright, Pinkie!” said Spinel.

“No,” growled Pink. “Yes, _My Diamond._ ”

Spinel and Pearl snapped to attention and saluted.

“Yes, My Diamond!”

“Pearl, I need to be especially clear about something,” added Pink. “We never spoke about the Black Sector, you understand?”

“I…” Pearl gulped. “Yes, My Diamond. Of course.”

Pink nodded, sighed, and fell back onto a soft, pink couch her pebbles had made.

“I hate being this strict,” she grunted. “Makes me feel like _Yellow._ But if I’m going to get a colony out of this, I have to show White I can be serious.”

“Of course, my Diamond,” nodded Pearl.

Pink pinched the bridge of her nose.

“This is our chance to get off this rock, Pearl,” she sighed. “Just… it has to go _right._ ”

She didn’t listen to any replies, laying down on her side and closing her eyes, willing the whole universe away.

She knew she wouldn’t be getting any peace for a good, long while.


End file.
